


Submersive Tactics

by antigrav_vector



Series: Things I blame on the CapRBB slack [19]
Category: Captain America (MCU), Iron Man (MCU), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bucky and James are different personalities, Canon-Typical Violence, Comic Book Science, Consentacles, Cuddling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enthusiastic Consentacles, I blame CAPRBB slack chat, James flirts a bit like a sledgehammer, James is not a damsel in distress, Light Dom/sub, Lots of it, M/M, Multi, Mutual Masturbation, POV Multiple, Past Bucky Barnes/Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Past James "Bucky" Barnes/the Winter Soldier, Past Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Sex Mishaps, Tentacle Monster Bucky, Tony is a mother hen, Tony thinks science is sexy, Touching for Comfort, attempted double penetration, but Tony treats him a bit like one, but they're learning to live together, don't question it too hard, gdi, idek, magically appearing tentacles, mild synaesthesia, not sure if threesome or foursome, octobucky, octobucky times two in fact, octojames, really weird love triangles, shifting pov, so are James and Bucky, two of them in fact
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-08 07:39:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14689530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antigrav_vector/pseuds/antigrav_vector
Summary: Steve and Bucky have more or less managed to calm James down, and Tony's done with his upgrades. That means experimenting with Bucky and James' new ability to gain temporary octopus arms.





	1. [Steve POV]

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'ed. Please excuse any remaining typos.

The afternoon had passed quietly, and Steve was glad of it.

After the three of them had gotten cleaned up, James had seemed to float around on a cloud of endorphins for hours. Steve didn't bother to fight back the smug smile that tugged at his lips as he finished his workout.

He'd found it weirdly satisfying to watch. After allowing the two of them to wreck him, James had finally settled, and that was even better for their collective mood than the sex or the afterglow had been. James moved like he felt solidly anchored in his body again.

"Steve?" Tony's voice rang out, and pulled him out of his thoughts.

Tossing his head to get his hair out of his eyes and reminded that he ought to have it cut soon, Steve racked the weights he'd been working with and turned to face his lover. "Yeah?"

Tony held out what looked like a t-shirt dyed to resemble his chorus girl outfit. "Brought you something."

Steve gave it a dirty look -- he'd never liked that costume much; the later versions were much better -- then transferred the look to Tony. "What is that, exactly, and why is it visible from miles away?"

Tony laughed at him, clearly enjoying his reaction. "It's meant to go under your less flashy gear, but you could probably get away with just this in a pinch if you're not going to go up against whole battalions. Functionally, it's the world's lightest armoured underwear. If you want to get more technical, it's a highly advanced smart textile composite that contains carbon fibre, Kevlar, and Nomex. I added some spandex to keep it flexible."

Steve glared at it for a beat, not overly thrilled at the associations the colors brought up, but took it with a sigh. "Next time, dye it differently," he told Tony who smirked at him.

"You prefer neon green?"

Typical. Tony was always poking at them, looking for the limits of what they'd allow.

"No." Steve gave Tony a stern look. "Make it to match the stealth suit," he demanded, well aware that giving specific directions worked better than leaving Tony the option to be ridiculous.

When it didn't matter, Steve tended to leave his lover the freedom to enjoy himself, but something like this? That he would likely be irked by every time he looked at it? That was where he drew the line. He knew better, meantime. Letting something like that prick at him would only end in a yelling match somewhere down the line, and get James mad at him.

Tony shrugged but gave in. "Fine. Boring as olive drab it is. You really ought to try new things once in a while, Old Man," he teased.

"Thought we were going to do just that after dinner," Steve shot back, and watched Tony's expression go hungry.

"True." Tony turned and made for the door. "Might want to go shower off, then, oh captain, my captain."

Shaking his head, Steve decided the path of least resistance would be to follow his 'orders'. Tony had conceded to his demands, after all. That deserved a minor concession on his own part. But it didn't mean he couldn't tease back.

Deciding to shower in their shared apartments, Steve followed Tony out of the gym and into the elevator. "You have a point," he told his lover as he leaned against the back wall of the elevator car, letting his arms hang comfortably in front of him and crossing them at the wrist. "Looking forward to experimenting with Buck, are you?"

Tony huffed at him. "And you aren't?"

"Never claimed that," Steve replied, enjoying the banter. It had taken him a few weeks to learn that often what had seemed like pointed comments and attacks to him were Tony's attempts to joke. Once he'd realised that, things had smoothed out considerably between them. "Taking risks is what made me who I am."

"No," Tony disagreed, "that was a mix of luck, Erskine's brilliance, and dad's ingenuity."

Steve grinned. "Yeah. Exactly."

The elevator stopped smoothly, and Tony stepped out of it. "Whatever. Go shower and find the tentacle twins. J ordered us Thai."

Watching him go with a shrug, Steve took himself into Tony's ridiculous bathroom and cleaned himself up. In the process, he spotted several new bottles and jars lined up in a neat row next to the hot tub and picked up a glass jar with what looked like rocks inside it. Bath salts. He bit his lip. Tony had gone ahead and simply acquired what he thought he needed for their experiments, without saying a word to Steve.

That was par for the course, but when it made his job easier Steve normally let it go. Tony was Tony, always doing his best to think five steps ahead, treating battlefields and the people in his life alike as though they belonged on a three dimensional chessboard. The annoying thing was, he was often correct, too.

He and Tony worked far better when they were working in concert than when they were arguing about details, and that was just as true in bed as on the field. He decided he'd ask about the things at dinner. Maybe just at the end of the meal, though. Otherwise they might get too distracted to finish eating.

Drying himself off took almost no time at all, and he didn't bother doing more than wrapping his damp towel around his waist before he stepped back out into the bedroom. 

Predictably, Tony had hung around to leer at him when he left the bathroom again. "I will never get tired of seeing you like this," he declared.

While it was gratifying to hear that, Steve sometimes wondered if there was anything more to the tension between them. Tony avoided talking about emotions like the plague, especially his own. For his part, he was definitely fond of the man. They'd rubbed one another raw at the beginning, but once Tony's true character had started coming through, and not just the media persona he wore to protect himself, Steve had finally realised there was a lot more to Tony than he'd been allowed to see.

Then, when James and Bucky had blown back into their lives like a hurricane, things between them had shifted again. Tony had connected with James on a level Steve hadn't been able to, and James' actions in pulling Tony into their relationship had opened Steve's eyes to more of what Tony was. And no, it wasn't remotely romantic between them, but Steve was attached. Almost as much as he was to James and Bucky.

He just wasn't sure whether Tony felt the same way.

Shoving the thoughts aside and opting for shamelessness, Steve let his towel fall away from his waist, very deliberately giving Tony a bit of a show and getting an appreciative look in return. He carefully ignored it, took some fresh clothes out of the dresser, and started pulling them on. "Where are James and Buck anyway?"

"Last I saw, they were in the common room heckling Clint's attempts to beat Nat at video games."

That fit. James and Natasha had grown quite close, and enjoyed driving Clint insane. Before the pair of them had been split into two physical people, Bucky had liked to watch with a metaphorical bowl of popcorn and occasionally silently throw some gasoline on the fire through his comments to James. Now, odds were good that dynamic would only intensify. "We'd better get down there and stop them from killing each other, then," Steve said wryly.

"Where's the fun in that?" Tony joked.

He stood up, though, and sauntered toward the bedroom door, assuming Steve would join him.

To Steve's relief, they found much less chaos than he'd been anticipating. Bucky and Clint were bickering over the food they were laying out on the coffee table. James was listening quietly as Nat offered commentary on what she was doing as she continued playing what Steve idly identified as their favourite simulated war game, World of Tanks. She and Clint loved taking on and destroying entire rooms of players, though they still occasionally shot at one another when they felt like it.

"Steve," Bucky called him over, "tell those two to shut off the game and come eat."

"Why is that my job? They'll come eat if they're hungry." Steve crossed his arms over his chest. "Not our fault if they wait til there's nothing left."

"We can always order more," Natasha put in.

James stood and made his way over to pull Tony in close and bury his nose in Tony's hair. "You'd save me some, wouldn't you," he asked quietly, nuzzling at the skin behind Tony's ear.

Tony shrugged. "I could try, but you know how supersoldiers are about calories."

With an overexaggerated groan, Steve let himself fall onto the sofa. "Speaking of calories, you'll have to fight me for mine."


	2. [Tony POV]

No one lingered long after the meal was over, and Tony suspected that Clint and Nat knew what they were planning. Or at least guessed. And didn't want to be in the room when they engaged in more than just their casual displays of affection.

James watched them go, then turned to him with an expectant expression. Steve was the one to broach the topic, though. "So what're all those new bottles in the bathroom for?" he asked, looking like he knew the answer but wanted to hear it said out loud.

Tony couldn't let him down. "Bucky promised me tentacle sex," he said bluntly with a significant look at the man in question. The words didn't strictly answer the question, but it was more than enough to go on.

A visible shiver went James. Steve looked like he could sympathise. 

While Steve debated what to say, Bucky jumped in. "I did, but I thought you said you wanted to experiment with this new change, first."

Tony grinned at him. "We can do both at the same time. It'll be more efficient that way."

James snorted. "Efficient. Right."

"Well, yeah," Bucky agreed easily. "Two birds, one stone. You two gonna join us?"

Steve hesitated, then stood. "I won't promise not to tap out if it gets too weird," he said, "but I'll give it a shot."

Stepping over to James and stopping in front of him, Tony held out a hand in silent invitation. He had to wait James out for what felt like an eternity before he got a tiny nod and a hand in his.

Not questioning the decision, lest James give in to the second thoughts he was sure to be having about it, Tony kept the hand in his and led the way out of the common floor's entertainment room. "I've been doing a bit of thinking," he said instead. "You transformed in the sea, but not in the shower. So there's probably some threshold of salinity that triggers the changeover. So let's find out what it is."

Chuckling at him, Steve appeared at his side, Bucky hard on his heels. "I don't see what possible use that information could have," he replied.

"Doesn't matter; if we know it, we know it. If we never need it, okay, we never need it. But if we do? We'll have it." Tony said archly, getting into the elevator for the short trip back up to his floor. "I make a living off knowing things, and then applying them to problems no one expected them to be useful for. Anyway. The plan is to park you in the hot tub, Buck, and add salt until your extra limbs appear. It'll take quite a lot of salt, though, so don't go expecting instant results."

Bucky gave him a skeptical look. "How much is a lot?"

"To get to the concentrations in seawater? About 67 kilos.[1]"

James made a sound like he wanted to speak, but didn't quite know what to say.

Steve gave him a look that said he had no idea how to react. "And you think we'll need to use all of it?" he asked.

The elevator doors opened and Tony got back out, heading for the bathroom as he answered. "I have no idea. This isn't something I have any data on, and I doubt that the Scientist Supreme does, either. It's possible that a lower concentration will work, too, but I only have two points of reference, here, and nothing in between."

He turned back to the trio in time to see Bucky haul his shirt off over his shoulders. The metal of his arm gleamed in the low light of the bedroom, catching the eye and reminding Tony of one other thing. "I should also mention: that arm is a very tough alloy, as well as water and rust proof down to about ten meters, but prolonged exposure to salt will still eventually cause pitting corrosion[2]. "

James smirked crookedly. "Why would we worry about that? You love lubing us up." 

Steve choked on his next breath, and covered his face with his hand. "That was the least subtle thing I've heard you say in a long time."

"Then you ain't been listenin'," Bucky told him, and his hands went for the button of his jeans. "'Sides, it's true."

"Well, yeah," Tony agreed easily, and moved in close so he could run his hands over Bucky's exposed skin and lean in to drop a kiss on his lips. "You're just delicious," he commented and watched Bucky preen, pleased.

A moment later, a familiar low possessive growl was rumbling in his ear and James was pressed against his back. Tony twisted, turning in James' arms until he could kiss him as well, then extricated himself from their grip. "Come on, boys, science first."

Steve wrapped himself around James, and suggested, "we can entertain each other while they play, if you want."

"Or," Tony put in as he hauled the buckets of aquarium supplies he'd bought out of storage, "you could join Bucky in the water."

"What the fuck, Tony," Bucky grumbled, laughing as he spotted the label. "Instant Ocean? What am I, a goddamn goldfish?"

"A goldfish would die in seawater," Tony told him cheerfully, tearing open the first one and starting the jets of the hot tub running. "You ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Bucky said, and slid carefully into the hot tub. "Oh, mmm, this is just as nice as I remembered."

They didn't take advantage of the thing nearly as often as they should, Tony decided, watching the look of bliss cross Bucky's face and linger for a few seconds as his eyes fluttered shut.

Steve was watching Bucky, transfixed, when Tony finally managed to tear his eyes away from the scene. James had stripped down to his underwear, too, though he left that on, for the moment. Steve was still fully clothed from the waist down.

Tony suspected that state of affairs wouldn't last too long. He pulled the lid off the bucket of salt and hefted it up, enjoying the way James' eyes lingered on him like a physical touch as he did. James loved his strength, carefully hidden from the world at large under his suits, and Tony loved that that turned James on. "I've got four of these. Three should be enough to get us the results we want, but I got some extra. I thought about using table salt, but why settle for an approximation when the real thing is just as easy to acquire? Each one will raise the salt concentration of the water by a little over one percent. Three will bring it up to the conditions found in the ocean."

Bucky rolled his eyes. "How many times have you asked me if I want to do this, Tony? It's startin' to sound like you _want_ me to back out."

"Nah," Tony accepted the point and simply dumped the bucket of salt into the water.

It took almost a minute to dissolve, and Bucky eyed it warily as he waited. "Nothin' yet," he reported eventually, and relaxed back against the side of the tub. "Buoyancy's changed a bit, though."

They repeated the procedure with the second bucket, with the same results.

The third got Bucky squirming as it dissolved, as though there was an itch somewhere that he couldn't scratch, and then, as the water cleared, he made a surprised sound of relief. "Well, that was just weird," he said, stretching.

Tony stared as one of Bucky's suckered arms coiled delicately over the edge of the bath and around his wrist. It was warm and surprisingly strong, the suckers latching onto his skin firmly. He cleared his throat. "Didn't hurt, though? I was out last time this happened, and so were you, I think."

"No, it didn't hurt. But it wasn't exactly pleasant. Felt a bit like ants crawlin' around under my skin."

James settled on the side of the hot tub next to his alter ego, flirting with touching the water but not quite doing it.

Steve joined him a moment later, running a hand through the warm water. Bucky reached up with one more suckered arm and let it spiral around Steve's arm, from the wrist all the way the elbow. 

The move got Steve to jump, surprised. "Buck?"

"Well, get in here, Steve." Bucky smiled his sex smile at his lover. (It was the one Tony just _knew_ was calculated to get Steve in bed. And worked pretty reliably, too.)

"But--" Steve stumbled over his words. "I thought you and Tony--"

"Sure, we will. C'mere. Come play," Bucky offered, keeping his voice low and tempting.

Tony took a step back, forcing Bucky to let go of him, and started shucking his clothes. He let them fall to the floor, not giving a flying fuck about putting them away just at that moment.

James looked up at him, his attention caught, and did the same. Once they were both in the nude, James pulled him in close, putting Tony's back against his chest and his arms around Tony's waist, then took a slightly shaky breath. "Tony?"

"Yeah?" Tony reached back to put his hands on whatever skin he could reach.

"Is there enough room for one more in there?"

He was pretty sure his smile would have dazzled anyone. It sure seemed to work on James. "Always. Let's have some fun."

[1] 

[2] https://www.nace.org/Pitting-Corrosion/  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitting_corrosion


	3. [James POV]

Watching Steve slide into the water, his eyes and shoulders telegraphing a mix of determination and hesitation, James swallowed. He could feel the tension humming in his own, but didn't want to acknowledge it. Steve was probably feeling much the same.

"You okay, James?"

Trust Tony to notice. The man was far more observant than he liked to pretend, especially where he and Bucky were involved. James forced himself to relax a little. "Yeah," he managed to say. "But I have no idea what to expect."

Steve made a strangled sound, that got everyone's attention. "Buck!" he scolded. "What the hell!"

Bucky, who'd wrapped his new appendages around Steve's legs all the way from ankle to groin, laughed at his lover's reaction. "Was that a good reaction or a bad one?" he asked, attempting to look innocent and failing miserably.

"Oh god," Steve said and groaned, a sound James recognised as turned-on-by-something-he-hadn't-expected-to-like. He'd gotten that reaction out of Steve a few times, back when they'd still been exploring one anothers' likes and kinks. One of the best had been when Steve'd reacted that way to James holding him down and not letting him come. Apparently he'd never been edged before James had done it, and hadn't thought he'd find enjoyment in that kind of denial.

Tony grinned and turned to James. "Sure you don't want a go at him?"

He... he kind of did. James felt a shiver go through him. "But what if--"

"Jamie," Bucky broke in, firmly as one more of his tentacles crept up out of the water to trail up Steve's torso and latch onto the skin all around one nipple without quite touching it, "either entertain Tony, or come here and help me give him a show to remember."

"You are _such_ a cocktease, Barnes," Steve growled, and tried to get free.

Bucky smirked at him when he failed. Sure, Steve managed to get loose of the tentacles holding him, but Bucky had more, and simply replaced any that Steve successfully got out of.

After watching them wrestle like that for about a minute, James gave in to the urge to touch, himself. He let go of Tony, dropping a kiss on the skin behind his ear, and slid into the water to join in.

The moment he did, two of Bucky's tentacles twined around his right wrist and elbow, the touch distracting him from the bizarre crawling feeling of his body shifting. 

Steve made an almost dismayed sound. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" he asked the ceiling.

Tony chuckled. "Doubt it. Those two have never left you unsatisfied before."

Bucky leaned in to nip at the skin of Steve's inner forearm. "Don't intend to start now, either," he commented, and brought another tentacle up to trail along the length of Steve's jaw until the delicate tip of it disappeared in the hair behind Steve's ear.

Stepping over to the side of the hot tub, Tony settled on its edge again. "So am I allowed to touch, too, or is this only a show?"

Bucky shrugged and caught James' eyes. James nodded; he wanted Tony's hands on him. "You can touch."

"First things, first, though. We have a different objective, Jamie," Bucky reminded him, making Steve twitch in his hold. 

"Right." An almost impish impulse made him smirk back at his alter ego, over Steve's shoulder. They were experimenting anyway, so why not throw this into the mix? If they weren't interested, someone would tell him. "Mission parameters?"

"Miss--" Steve started, and cut off with what almost qualified as a squeak.

Bucky ran his hands up Steve's sides, and locked eyes with him as he answered. "Mission parameters are simple, this time around. We touch him and see what gets Steve all worked up, and he has to wait to come until we let him."

Tony bit at his lip. "Hot. Can we record this?"

"Tony, no," Steve said, blushing all the way down to his collarbones. "Oh god."

James reached out with one of his tentacles -- it was still beyond weird to get bombarded by so much sensory input, but he knew he'd adapt -- and reached around Steve to twine it around one of Bucky's.

Bucky made a pleased sound and the color patterns of his tentacles shifted, going almost rosy. "Didn't expect that to feel good," he said, tone thoughtful.

James had to agree. Now that he was focusing on it, he could feel the warmth of Bucky's skin, and the surprisingly smooth soft texture of it. It felt a bit like skin coated in silicone lube, with a bunch of round disks stuck on the underside for variation. But underneath all that was a strong feeling of _connection_ and _affection_. It was nice.

He reached out with two more, winding one around Tony's knee and latching onto the sensitive skin at the back of the joint where he knew Tony was sensitive, and the other around Steve's waist, the tip of it flirting with touching the head of Steve's cock but not doing so.

"Two can play that game, James." Tony retaliated by peeling it insistently free until he could twine it around his fingers and bring it up to his face. James jerked at the feeling of Tony's facial hair rasping over it, all but writhing and instinctively trying to grind the dick he didn't have at the moment against Steve's ass.

That thought finally made him realise what else had changed besides his human legs. He didn't have his dick in this form. Suitably distracted from tormenting Steve and Tony, he pulled back a little, putting a couple of inches between them. "Bucky?"

"Hmm?" Bucky pinned Steve's arms to his sides and leaned in to kiss him. He didn't seem to be bothered at all by the changes to his body.

"What if we can't come like this?" he asked, wondering what kind of affect that would have on their dynamic.

Tony licked at the tentacle twined around his hand. "Who gives a shit?" he replied, and then caught the tip gently between his teeth for a moment when James squirmed. "If not, we'll just make you come later, once you're back on your feet. Now go on, I want to see you help Bucky wreck Steve."

That was a good point. James nodded. "Okay. Steve?"

"Just get on with it," Steve grumbled and bucked in their hold, wanting more.

Bucky chuckled at him, enjoying the reactions they were getting. "Not yet. Jamie, we should make him take a few of our tentacles and just keep him hard for a while."

"Buck, come on," Steve said, between deep breaths, "that's just mean."

"But you love it," Tony reminded him. "And so do we."

James thought Steve sounded almost overwhelmed already. It was probably the newness of it all, he decided. Tucking himself closer to Steve again, he used one more of his tentacles to reach for the bottle of lube they kept nearby. It was silicone based and perfect for playing in the shower or hot tub. "Yes?" he prompted Steve, not wanting to push the limits too hard too fast, as he transferred the bottle into his left hand.

Twisting hard in their hold, Steve swore a blue streak. Bucky reacted. Quick as a striking octopus, he yanked Steve away from James and had him pinned firmly. One tentacle went around each wrist and held it tightly to Steve's upper thighs. Two more went around each ankle, then suckered to the walls of the hot tub. "Answer the question, Steve," Bucky demanded, not letting Steve move enough to do more than squirm in his hold. "I didn't hear a safeword."

"When you're done with him," Tony put in, "I want to try that."

James glanced over at Tony, and felt himself flush red. He allowed himself to make a high quiet sound of want at the back of his throat. Tony was leisurely touching himself as he watched them, teasing himself with just enough touch to make himself want more without actually making himself come. Making himself wait. The thought all but set James aflame.

"You got it, sugar," Bucky replied without looking away. "Steve?"

Steve swallowed hard, but nodded.

Bucky eyed him skeptically, waiting him out.

"Bucky," Steve whined, getting an amused chuckle out of Tony. "Ugh, okay, yes."

"That's better. C'mere, Jamie." Bucky commanded. 

James went, sliding up to his literal other half, and waiting, watching Steve carefully. 

"Yes. Exactly right, that's good," Bucky praised him, twining one tentacle around the back of James' neck and up into his hair.

It pulled a shudder out of him that went from his shoulders all the way down to what would normally have been his toes. He waited a moment longer.

"Lube up one of your tentacles and wrap it around mine," Bucky decided. "We'll take him together."


	4. [Bucky POV]

As James moved to comply with his suggestion and popped open the cap on the lube bottle, a slightly stunned but aroused expression on his face, Steve fought to get free again, wrenching at his arms since he didn't have the leverage to get his legs out of Bucky's hold.

Tony took that as his cue to get a little more hands on. Putting his palms on Steve's jaw, one on either side, he caught Steve's attention and held his eyes. "Why are you fighting so hard?" he asked quietly. "Need to feel trapped? Want them to make it look like they're taking you against your will?"

Steve thrashed one last time, then subsided slightly. "No, but, it..." he trailed off as James picked one of Bucky's tentacles up in his hands, and ran his palms along the length of the limb.

Bucky bit his lip and whined at the feelings shooting through him. He didn't have names for them, not really, but it was almost like tasting feelings. A darkly velvety sweet feeling, like chocolate melting in his mouth, sent a shiver up his spine to lodge at the nape of his neck. When James' hands reached the tip and paused to play with it, Bucky let his forehead fall to Steve's shoulder, as the chocolate was washed away to be replaced with an oddly muted mix of mint and cinnamon. He had no idea what any of that meant, but James was looking at him like he was feeling the same weirdly dessert-like sensations.

One of Tony's hands left Steve's jaw to tangle in Bucky's hair, fisting in it and tugging gently. "You okay, there, Bucky? You're looking a little overwhelmed."

Lifting his head, following Tony's nonverbal demand and more grateful for that anchor than he'd thought he'd be, Bucky took a steadying breath as Tony's grip loosened again. "A little. Lot of new and different feelin's to get used to," he answered.

"If it's too much, we don't have to do this now," Tony offered him an out. "We can try again another night. Once you're more used to this."

Bucky thought it over. "You have a point," he admitted. "But I wanted to."

"No one expects you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable." Steve said firmly, and tugged at the tentacles pinning his hands again, albeit less insistently than before.

Bucky didn't let go of them, keeping his hold on Steve's wrists, but he let Steve raise his arms until he could put his hands on the tentacles he and James had twined together, trailing his fingers over them lightly. Oddly, for all that every other point of contact he had with Steve didn't do anything out of the ordinary, that touch sent what seemed like a kaleidoscope of tastes swirling through his awareness. Candied lemon rind, more mint and cinnamon, bright orange, something faintly metallic that Bucky couldn't pin down, and just a faint hint of smoky whiskey. 

It was dizzying.

He pulled the twined limbs away from the touch with a gasp he heard James echo. "Too much."

Steve froze and tried to hide the way he winced. "If that's too much, you'll never be able to stand putting it in me."

"Switch places," Tony ordered. "Let us drive you both crazy instead."

James cleared his throat, and nodded. "Tactically sound."

Bucky pouted, letting his full lower lip stick out temptingly. "Fine. We'll try this again another night." 

"Let me loose, then," Steve said, pulling pointedly at the grip Bucky had on his legs again. "Instead, we'll figure out how to make you come, when you're like this."

"Good plan." Tony nodded, backing him up immediately, and eyeing James like he was planning out his own 'mission'. "What was it that overwhelmed you about touching that tentacle?" he asked, gesturing to their twined limbs.

"It... It's hard to describe, yeah?" Bucky said slowly. "Closest I can get is that touchin' like that Jamie makes me think I can taste feelin's. And when Steve touched it, instead of one or two tastes there were suddenly about five, one right after the other. Confusin' and weird as hell."

"Huh." Tony reached out for it, but stopped. "Can I?"

James caught his eyes, looking a bit lost, and apparently wanting Bucky to decide. "Guess so?"

He started, below the part of their limbs that they'd tangled together, only touching James' skin, at first, and caught their eyes, individually, checking in with them, before he moved on. "Okay?"

"I ain't gettin' anythin' from that." Bucky informed him, relaxing when he realised that he was bracing for something he wasn't feeling.

James shrugged. "Feels like any other touch to me."

Tony hummed and let go. "Interesting. Steve, try what I did, but make sure you only touch Bucky."

That got them a similar result.

"Looks like that only happens when the two of you touch." Tony deduced, voicing what they were all thinking. "It okay if I try touching you both?"

Bucky caught James' attention that time. They both nodded. He thought James looked a little apprehensive, but chose not to mention it.

Taking the cautious assent for what it was, Tony started out just touching James, again, as he had before, running his fingers over the tentacle below the part they'd wrapped around one another. As he did, Bucky realised that the chocolate and the mint-cinnamon tastes had become a low hum of background noise. Then a harshly contrasting slash of bitter olive and gin, shot through with hints of what Bucky thought might be cranberry, made him hiss in surprise.

It wasn't as all-encompassing as he had been when Steve touched them, though, mixing more easily with the physical feeling of Tony playing with their tentacle tips than Steve's brighter taste had.

James reacted, apparently needing something more. He reached for Tony and wrapped an arm around his waist, hauling him in close. The move got him a yelp, but he didn't care a whit, wrapping himself around Tony and starting to kiss the breath out of him. Neither of them let go of the pair of entwined tentacles, though, making Bucky twitch and groan at the sensations that shot through him.

"Fuck, Jamie," he gritted out, suddenly pushed right up to the limits of his control.

He let it trail off, though, not sure what he wanted to say. He couldn't decide whether to demand more, devouring the bright want and need like a starved man presented with a five course meal, or pull away and try to catch his breath.

Having the pair of them kissing like that and both touching him was making tingles run up the length of Bucky's spine to lodge at the base of his skull and down to the tips of his tentacles. Had he had feet, his toes would have curled. As it was, he had to resort to the next best thing: wrapping himself around Steve and attempting to pour some of the feelings out into him. To relieve a bit of the building pressure that way. The olive and gin had faded into something that tasted strongly of coconut and ice, and Bucky thought he might drown in it.

Steve met him halfway, divining what he wanted and wrapping Bucky up in his strong arms. It was a badly needed anchor in a building storm, until Steve started kissing his way down the side of Bucky's neck.

"Steve!" Bucky knew he was approaching desperate, he wanted. Needed. "More!"

Steve chuckled at him, but did as requested. He took full advantage of all the sensitive spots above Bucky's waist that he'd found or in some cases rediscovered, as well as the new ones that had appeared since his rescue. Collarbone, nipples, high on his ribcage, at the hinge of his jaw, the shell of his ear.

Then Steve set his teeth in the muscle of his forearm just there where he loved it, right beneath the elbow, and Bucky could take no more. With a feeling like ice cracking, he came harder than he had in weeks, fighting for air. Distantly, he felt James follow him over the knife's edge.

He reopened his eyes, not sure when he'd closed them, and blinked confusedly up at the ceiling of the bedroom. Caught up in a warm comforting tangle of limbs, he identified the arm possessively draped over his waist as Steve's, and the hand on his hip as James'. Tony sprawled on his back on James' other side, silently working on a holographic interface.

Typical.

It was like their experimentation had never happened. Like it had all been a damned good dream, despite the minor mishaps. Bucky wasn't sure whether to hope it had been, or hope they could do it again. Coming to terms with permanently being half-octopus might take a little while.

Perhaps, he thought to himself, perhaps their next mission ought to be to pry more information out of SHIELD and the Scientist Supreme about what the hell he'd done to them, anyway. Even if there was no reversing it -- which Bucky wasn't sure he believed -- that intel could be important to their future survival.

Satisfied with that conclusion, he settled back down to sleep with a sigh.


End file.
